Blind Man's Bluff
by scrittore.9
Summary: "I just went BOOM from Science," Darcy moaned. A lab accident has serious repercussions that bring the team closer together. And just maybe, our favorite green rage monster and a certain lab assistant... BruceDarcy
1. In Which Science Goes Boom

"Hey doc(s) plural, can I tear you away from Science for a moment? Ha, rhetorical question! I have some paperwork for you to sign!" Darcy sang as she backed into the lab, balancing three cups of coffee and a mountain of paperwork in her arms. Later, she would blame that as the reason for her not seeing Jane, Bruce, and Tony huddled in a glass cage on the far side of the room, frantically gesturing for her to get out. But they were, their mouths open in howls that could not be heard through the thick glass of the protection cage.

BOOM!

The blast was more concussive than explosive, and there was the tinkling of breaking beakers in the background as Darcy was hurled into the air, the coffee and paperwork flying around her in a blizzard of white. The mugs smashed to the concrete floor seconds before her head, and the world went black.

The scientists' screams could be heard the second Bruce threw open the door to the blast protection cage, and they all ran toward Darcy's still figure.

"Darcy," Jane whimpered, her hands flying to her mouth as Bruce checked her pulse and the gash on her temple.

"Damn," he whispered, and Tony felt inclined to agree.

The blast drew the other Avengers, armed and ready, a few seconds later.

"Tony, what did you blow up this time?" Clint's yell echoed down the hall. Steve, Thor, Clint and Natasha all came to a standstill as they surveyed the damage to the lab and the three scientists huddled around Darcy's limp figure.

"Friend Stark, what is the meaning of this?" Thor frowned, watching as Bruce gingerly examined Darcy's head for signs of trauma.

"It was an experiment," Tony sighed. "I initiated start protocols just before she walked in, and it was too late to stop."

"Did you think to lock the lab, or tell JARVIS to warn others not to wander into the lab before you made things go boom?" Natasha spat, looking ready to murder. She had developed a particular soft spot for Darcy. But Clint tugged at her arm, and she backed up so that Steve could step forward.

"Doctor, is she alright?" he asked Bruce.

"She needs the hospital" was all Bruce could say. And so, tucked in Captain America's arms (If she had been awake, she would have appreciated it significantly more), Darcy made her way toward the Stark Towers' very own helipad to be airlifted to the SHIELD infirmary.

When Darcy Lewis woke up in SHIELD's infirmary two days later, she would have been surprised. Camped out around her bed in various states of sleep were the Avengers plus Pepper and Jane.

"Mgfgh" Darcy moaned as the pain hit.

"Darcy?" Bruce was instantly awake. "How do you feel?"

"Well, I dunno, doc. Kinda like I just went boom from Science."

Bruce grinned, relieved. "Darcy sarcasm levels back to normal." He pretended to make a note on a clipboard.

Darcy blinked rapidly, then finally settled on the conclusion that yes, her eyes were open. "Hey doc, why're the lights off in here?" she asked. "Not trying to take advantage of the invalid are we?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

But her quip was lost on Bruce, who stared. "Darcy?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her eyes. She didn't blink. He felt the familiar ache of panic settle into the pit of his stomach. "Darcy, please tell me you're playing a terrible, horrible, incredibly not funny prank on me right now."

A frown drew itself across Darcy's face. "What do you mean?" She wanted to know. "It's dark. Just turn the lights on." But she was starting to panic. "Bruce?" Her voice squeaked a bit at the end of his name, and she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Darcy!" Pepper's maternal voice was sleepy but gratifyingly ecstatic as she sat up, jostling Tony, who elbowed Clint, who bumped Natasha who shook Steve who tapped Jane who pinched Thor's nose just as he snored, causing him to startle awake with a rather loud roar.

"Hi Pepper," Darcy's voice was sulky. "Will you tell Bruce to stop messing with my head and turn on the lights?"

The Avengers plus two stared at each other for a moment, in which Bruce waved his arms around, Natasha glared daggers at Tony, Jane snuggled a little deeper into Thor's arms, and Steve shrugged.

"The lights are on, sweetie," Pepper said finally.

There was a moment of absolute silence as everyone worked out exactly what that meant.

"Holy Shit. I'm blind."


	2. In Which Darcy and Jane Are Okay

The doctor poked and prodded and measured and she could hear his pens scrawling across his papers. "We need to run some tests, Miss Lewis, but we'll get back to you in an hour," the doctor promised.

As soon as the door shut behind the doctor, Darcy raised her head. "Tell me he was chubby, middle aged, and balding," she said.

"What?" Steve was completely mystified.

"It's just that Dr. Disco sounded chubby, middle aged and balding."

"He was," Natasha confirmed, and Darcy could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Lady Darcy, what is this Disco?" Thor asked. And so the next hour was spent explaining to Thor the meaning of the term disco and its origins back about the time when Dr. Disco still had hair.

When the doctor in question reentered the room, everyone fell silent, partially because no one trusted Thor not to accidentally blurt out something about Dr. Disco (as he had during the rather horrific Miss Bo Peep incident) and partially because everyone was interested in Dr. Disco's news.

"Um, Miss Lewis," he said, painfully aware of the stares- or in Natasha's case death glares- fixed on him. He looked at her and gulped visibly. "You are blind."

"No!" cried Darcy. "Really? How fascinating! I couldn't tell!"

Natasha snickered when Dr. Disco turned redder than her hair.

"Erm, I was saying that your blindness was caused by the concrete that your head hit. As of now there's a 50% chance that your vision could come back, but we can't be sure."

"Sweet."

"Doctor, a word," Bruce said, and the door shut behind them. The rest of the team started untangling themselves, groaning about aches, mornings, and SHIELD coffee.

"It tastes like motor oil and horse excrement," Tony whined.

"And you have first hand knowledge of this, I suppose?" Natasha snarked back.

Darcy could practically see Stark's shifty expression as he muttered, "Maybe." She choked back a laugh as there was a dull thud and small yelp, no doubt the result of a palm connecting with the back of a skull.

"So, the Avengers sleepover was all good and fun, but I have Science to get back to," Tony said, sounding the tiniest bit sulky.

"Actually," Pepper's voice was apologetic, "I have to get back to the company before it implodes."

"Go, go," Darcy waved what she hoped was an airy hand. "Thanks for being here," she added. Pepper practically pinched Darcy's cheeks, enveloping her in a large, expensive smelling perfumed hug before the click of her heels announced her departure.

There was the sound of a small scuffle, and Jane hissed something that Darcy couldn't make out.

"But my dearest Lady Jane, why would you wish for us to leave the sickbed of our esteemed friend the Lady Darcy?" Thor sounded genuine puzzled, and Jane huffed a sigh and face palmed.

"Thor, I really love you, but sometimes . . ."

"And I'm going to go," Steve said, sounding so awkward that Darcy just wanted to ruffle his hair. "I have, uh, pressing business, um, elsewhere."

"It's cool, bro. Believe me, they're nauseating even when you're blind."

"Well, contact me if there are any problems," Steve hurried out the door, obviously relieved. Thor followed with a still confused, "Fare thee well, Lady Darcy."

And Darcy was left with Jane.

The bed dipped as Jane sat on the corner, and she began playing with Darcy's hair, like they did on girls nights, though girls nights usually included lots of alcohol, a cheesy chick flick or two, and chocolate. A braid was half worked into Darcy's hair by the time either of them managed to say anything.

"I'm sorry!" Jane cried.

"Jane, breath," Darcy counseled. Knowing her boss, the silly woman had probably worked herself up to tears. "Jane Foster, I swear to God if you start . . ." Jane burst into tears, and Darcy sighed. "Crying. Oh come here." Groping for Jane's arm, she managed to pull the other woman into her arms. "Jane, hush, Jane. Calm down. It's not your fault!"

"But your eyes," Jane blubbered. "And what if . . ."

"No." Darcy said it so firmly that Jane stopped to stare at her. "We are not discussing possibilities. I'm versatile, remember? A poli sci major working for an astrophysicist? If my sight comes back then thank God, and if not, then it doesn't. Are you going to stop being my friend if I'm blind?"

Jane blinked. "No."

"Then we will have no problem. Got it?"

"Got it," Jane snuffled, burying her head back in Darcy's shoulder.

Darcy patted her head, rolling her eyes. Sometimes geniuses were astronomically stupid.


	3. In Which Darcy is Sprung

Darcy and Jane were sleeping rather attractively when Bruce walked back into the room. He had talked to the doctors, triple checked Darcy's lab results, and basically annoyed the crap out of everyone. But even in his weary state, he had to stop and grin at the picture in front of him. Darcy had scooted over so that she could share the bed with Jane, and her head was pillowed on Jane's stomach in some acrobatic feat that no doubt Natasha would be hard pressed to equal. Jane drooled in her sleep, and Darcy's hair had worked itself into a magnificent bedhead. He couldn't disturb them, so he sat down to wait.

Darcy was the first to wake. She yawned and stretched luxuriously. Bruce sighed and set down his book with a rustle that drew her attention.

"Hello?" She called cautiously. Instantly the guilt kicked in. Of course she couldn't tell he was there; he had helped make her blind.

"It's me, Darcy."

"Hey, Dr. B! What's shakin', doc? Any alien butt to kick?"

"None but yours, I'm afraid. Dr. Standish wants to keep you here for observation for another night, and after that he agreed to release you as long as you remained on bed rest."

"Who, Dr. Disco? Aw man, you guys are buzzkills." Darcy elbowed Jane, who jerked awake with an unladylike snort. "Oy! Guess what the esteemed Drs. Buzzkill, M.D. have to say!"

"Huh? Whazzup?"

"I can go home in a day!"

"Great! Lemme sleep." With that, Jane collapsed back onto Darcy's pillow.

Darcy sighed with mock disappointment. "Oh, astrophysicist geniuses these days," she said, shaking her head. Then she cocked it to the side.

"Doc?" she reached out her hand. "Ya still there?"

He contemplated her hand for a moment, and she wiggled it insistently. Hesitantly, he reached out and took it. Immediately he was glad he had; her face lit up in the biggest smile he had seen in days.

"It's not your fault either, Bruce," she said gently. Coldness trickled down his spine so eerily that for a moment he was convinced that Tony had just tried to shock him into Hulking out again.

"I have to go," he stuttered, dropping her hand and sprinting for the door. Just outside, he sunk down against the wall and buried his face in his knees. How could she so calmly accept her blindness? He came to one conclusion.

Darcy Lewis was a strange creature.

But the Avengers did bed rest stylishly. Darcy wound up on the couch with her head pillowed in Natasha's lap and her feet in Clint's. Natasha combed her fingers through Darcy's head while Clint rubbed her feet, and between them, Darcy swore she would start purring. A blanket was spread over her that smelled like Jane.

"Thanks, Jane," she murmured, knowing that despite their chat, her best friend still hadn't fully forgiven herself for the accident. As a matter of fact, she still had to confront Tony and Bruce about it… the couch cushion under her butt dipped minutely, as though someone sitting on the floor was leaning against it, but she had four super senses other than seeing now so she totally felt it. Tentatively she reached her hand out until it hit a head of curly hair.

"Hey doc!" she grinned, carding her fingers through his hair. "Long time no see!"

Her quip was met with silence. Even JARVIS obligingly muted the stereo system. "Damn," Darcy said cheerfully. "Too soon."

"Too soon," Natasha agreed drily.

"Mulan!" Tony practically yelled.

"Yes!" Thor cheered from his usual spot in the armchair. He liked it best since it offered Jane the perfect excuse to sit on his lap. "I enjoy hearing the feats of this warrior maiden and her loyal companions!"

And so it was settled. The team had a Disney marathon that Pepper ducked into a few hours later bearing take out containers.

"General Tsao chicken for Thor," she muttered. "Sesame tofu for Bruce, Kung Pao chicken for Jane . . ." she handed them each their respective containers, and Natasha nudged her up so she could eat.

Mary Poppins was still playing about the time they all fell asleep on each other.

But as nice as the honeymoon period is, pretty soon people have to start going back to work. Pepper was always in and out, but Bruce was the first to get called back. SHIELD needed some gamma research verified, and Tony was quick to tag along. Then Steve and Thor were called for a mission as were Natasha and Clint. Soon the tower was empty again. Jane brought her work home to the Tower's labs, so at least she was in the building, but Darcy was left mainly to her own devices.

Darcy Lewis disliked the dark. In fact, Darcy Lewis hated the dark. She abhorred and loathed it. When Darcy was five, her older brothers had locked her in the back closet with the sticky door that the boogeyman lived in and forgotten her. The door wouldn't budge, and Darcy screamed herself hoarse, sitting in that closet for hours until her parents returned home ad found her. So Darcy detested the dark.

Being blind was a little bit like being back in that closet. Except then there was the presence of the others, and the simple fact that they were there was comforting, not to mention that she was pretty sure that all of her superhero best friends could totally take the boogeyman.

So she began exploring the tower. She could get around fairly well from memory and feel, but JARVIS was always there to help, too, if she got too lost. In three days, Darcy was best friends with John and Clyde from the mailroom and could recite Kate the Cleaning Lady's baby daddy dramas backwards. By day 5, she had worked out a deal with Juana the receptionist; Darcy brought the coffee and Juana the receptionist brought homemade blueberry cranberry scones.

It was a little off putting, Darcy thought, that Tony and Bruce could avoid her so well. Jane allowed herself to be pried out of the lab far more easily now, and Clint and Natasha, who got home from their mission first, could be persuaded to cook, which they did uncannily well.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Darcy asked, perched on the end of the counter and munching happily on a turnover that had just come from the oven.

"Oh, around," Natasha said vaguely.

"We've been on so many missions where we need to provide for ourselves that it just became a habit," Darcy could hear the shrug in Clint's voice.

"No," she insisted, "It's amazing!"

"Thank you, младшая сестра (little sister)," Natasha hummed, and though Darcy had no idea what it meant the affection in Natasha's tone made her smile.

Hearing Natasha's words, Clint grinned at his partner. She arched an eyebrow at him, and he returned a shrug. She blew a kiss and he caught it and placed it over his heart. Natasha rolled her eyes heavenward but a smile stole across her own face.

Thor, Steve, Bruce and Tony wandered in around the same time.

"Something smells delicious," Tony announced.

"It better," Natasha's tone was honey sweet. "But they're Darcy's." Darcy smirked and Stark pouted.

"Not fair," he said petulantly.

"Life's not fair," Bruce intoned wearily, with the air of a man who has repeated that mantra too many times. Darcy wondered how many repetitions were Tony and how many were Bruce and the Other Guy.

"Darcy, my love, my dear, whose beautiful and illustrious grace captivates my every waking thought, whose poise and intelligence are a match only to mine own" there was a pause, "and Pepper's, please, dear one, spare a pastry for a poor humble man."

There was absolute silence in the kitchen. Then simultaneously, everyone burst into laughter.

"Grace? Darcy?" Clint guffawed.

"Stark poor?" Natasha scoffed.

"Stark humble?" Steve slapped his knee.

"Anthony Edward Stark, none of that was even remotely true," Darcy managed when she had sobered up a bit. "But it has somewhat endeared you to me." She held out a turnover, which Tony promptly snatched and took a large bite of.

"'Fank 'ou," he mumbled around his pastry, and Darcy laughed. Then someone brushed against her, and she reached out carefully to see who. Sure enough, her inquisitive hand collided with curly hair.

"Doctor Banner," she said. "We have to talk."

"Oh damn." Darcy was pretty sure that one was Clint, since she could hear Natasha hissing in Russian as she dragged Clint away. The rest of the room emptied quickly after that, with Thor and Steve having a sudden urge to share turnovers with Jane.

"Fare thee well, Lady Darcy," Thor called as he retreated down the hall.

"Fare thee well, Bruce," Tony muttered before disappearing as well.


	4. In Which Bruce is Cornered

Bruce Banner was well and truly cornered.

"You are very talented at this," he told Darcy wryly.

"I am," she agreed guilelessly. "We need to talk."

"Do we."

"We most definitely do."

"And there is no way to avoid this, I suppose?"

"You suppose correctly."

"Damn," Bruce sighed, setting down his coffee mug with a clink. "You have my complete attention now. I am at your leisure, my lady."

Darcy cocked her head at him. "Either you have been reading Pride and Prejudice or hanging around Thor too much. But alas! That is a query for another time, methinks." She winked at him. "Bruce, how are you?"

He blinked at her. "What?"

She frowned. "What do you mean what? That is a pretty standard question, no? I mean, just yesterday a lady at the grocery store asked me how I was."

"You haven't been out of Stark Tower in a week. And before that you were in the infirmary."

"Details." Darcy waved what she clearly intended to be an airy hand. "So?"

"I am fine. Thank you. How are you?"

"Blind."

"Darcy . . ."

"_Bruce_ . . . "

"Let me summarize your speech. Save you the trouble of giving it. _Bruce, it's not your fault. Shit happens. We deal with it. We'll all be fine_."

Darcy was quiet.

"Well did I get it?" He was angry now, slamming his hands on the counter top and making her jump at the noise. A growing part of him felt ashamed for scaring her, but he pushed it back. "That is what you were going to say, right?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice. "That is it. I'll go now." She slid off the counter and stumbled through the kitchen, arms outstretched in front of her to feel her way out.

"Darcy," he sighed, "wait."

She stopped but did not turn.

"Come back. I was a dick, and I'm sorry." She showed no sign of moving, and so he went to her, wrapping his arms around her slowly. At first she stiffened, then gradually she relaxed until she was sobbing into his shoulder. "Shhh. Shh, it's okay. It's all gonna be fine," he soothed, sinking slowly to the floor cradling her in his arms.

When she showed signs of being cried out, he began to speak. "I had a lab accident too. As a result, I became a monster that destroyed my life and everyone I loved. When the lab exploded, I immediately feared the worst. And when we found out that you were only blind, I was relieved that you weren't going to suffer like me, but jealous that your accident had less extreme outcomes . . . I was a bit angry that there wasn't going to be someone else like me."

She snuffled a bit into his shoulder.

"And then we reach the bit about the accident where it's partially my fault. Yes, it is. I was in that room with Jane and Tony. None of us thought about locking the door or warning others away. We were careless- I was careless- and frankly we're all lucky that you're only blind. So I'm sorry."

"Doctor Banner," Darcy sniffled, "you sure have a way with the ladies."

There was a beat of silence in which he stared at her in amazement and she worried if she had offended him before he leaned forward, tucked his head into her shoulder, and busted into laughter. And so they sat together on the kitchen floor, breathless from laughing.

"I see your prospective," she told him when they had regained their breath.

"You do?" He sounded amazed.

"I do."

He stared at her, emotions churning in his gut so fiercely that it hurt to look at her. Finally he settled on, "Thank you, Darcy. You have no idea how much that means to me," as the least dangerous response. She snuggled closer into him and he felt her yawn. His foot was falling asleep when she stretched.

"You're really comfy and all, and I'm glad that we're good now, but I have to pee like a pregnant woman right now." Shaking his head, Bruce helped her stand and spun her in the direction of the door.

"Thanks, Bruce."

"No problem, Darcy."


	5. In Which a Girls Night Is Had

Check Bruce off the list, Darcy thought, feeling her way to the bathroom. She just had to corner Stark now.

"JARVIS, where's Tony?" she asked.

"I believe he is unavailable at the moment, Miss Lewis," the AI told her politely. "Would you like me to inform him that you wish to see him?"

"Nah, it's cool. Thanks, JARVIS."

"Anytime, Miss Lewis."

Darcy was convinced that due to her recent escapades throughout the tower- and her subsequent getting lost and needing directions from JARVIS that she and the AI had developed somewhat of a bond. Yeah, Lewis, she told herself, a friendship with a computer. You're cool.

She didn't find Tony that night, but she did find Pepper in the living area. Soon Jane joined them, and, as if sensing a girls night in the making, Natasha turned up with a bottle of vodka.

"An' then I slapped 'is ass and walked away," Pepper slurred after her eighth shot.

"Once I snuck into my ex's house an' stole all 'is underwear," Jane shot back.

"I tied a mark up naked with a red satin rope and then called the police on him," Natasha informed them, not sounding the least bit drunk. Darcy was insanely jealous.

"In fifth grade we stuffed 'is really 'noying kid Alex in th' janitor closet an' forgot 'bout 'im" Darcy tried. She was rewarded by a round of scoffs and the game began again.

The next morning, Darcy woke up with her legs tangled in someone else's, her head on someone's stomach and someone's head on her stomach. Oh, and an effing hangover.

Unable to tell what time it was, Darcy closed her eyes again. Then an epiphany hit.

"Guys! Guess what?!" she was greeted by a chorus of 'hush' and moaning. "Wha'? 's no one excited t' hear my news?"

"Shoot," Jane finally mumbled, cause she was an awesome friend like that.

"I'm blind!" Darcy cried happily.

"Come again?"

"The evil light, the devilish work cannot pierce my eyes!"

Pepper opened her eyes and promptly slammed them shut again. "Y' know," she mumbled, "Darcy might be onto something there."

The door banged open and more light flooded the room, drawing noises of protest. "I sense a girls night in!" Tony Stark said far too happily. "Why was I not invited?"

"Cause you're not a girl?" Jane guessed.

"I dunno," Natasha mumbled. "He screams an awful lot like one."

"I resent that," Tony huffed.

"I resent your face," the assassin returned, her voice muffled in Darcy's stomach.

"Tony, sweetheart, if you ever want to see me naked again, you'll close the blinds, make us coffee and tell Clint to make us toast."

"Yes, dear," Tony said in a mock cowed voice. Then there was a click and the room exploded into motion. Darcy basically just tried not to get kicked as she felt the others scrambling up and heard them running down the hall after Tony.

"Stark, give me that camera," Natasha screamed from down the hall.

"Hey, sleepy," Bruce's voice said from next to Darcy. To her credit, she only jumped a little."

"And where did you learn to move silently like an assassin?" She grumbled as he helped her up.

Bruce chuckled, and something fired up in her stomach. "Well, now, we do live with two." They stumbled toward the kitchen. Rather, she stumbled, and he kept her upright and from running into any walls. "Speaking of assassins," Bruce grinned as he helped her onto a chair at the table, "This one's made you coffee and toast."

"Damn," Darcy sighed. "I knew you were good for something."

"Thank you," Clint muttered. "It's so nice to be appreciated."

Steve, who was reading the paper over to her right, snorted.

"Morning, Cap!" Darcy greeted.

Clint frowned. "You're awfully chipper for someone with a hangover," he said suspiciously.

"Oh, that's cause I didn't have as much as everyone else," Darcy admitted. "I only managed four shots cause once everyone else got drunk enough, they stopped putting shots into my hands, and I couldn't find them to down them."

There was silence for a long moment.

Then Clint burst into laughter, Bruce chuckled a bit, and the Captain frowned.

"Um, that seems like a good method of enforcing temperance," he said finally, and Darcy grinned and patted what she hoped was his arm.

"I live for innovation, Cap," she chirped.

The loud thuds and sounds of general melee grew closer to the kitchen, and finally Natasha pranced through the door, bearing a thoroughly destroyed camera.

"Got it," she said proudly, sounding more than a bit lethal.

Tony, Pepper, and Jane dragged themselves into the kitchen next, Tony limping slightly, and Pepper and Jane incredibly hung over. There was a scraping of chairs and they winced, gingerly sitting at the table. Bruce carried their coffees over and took the chair next to Darcy.

"It was just a picture," Tony mumbled into his cup.

"It is not anymore," Natasha said smugly. Tony humphed at her, and breakfast continued as normal. That is, as normal as it ever got around Stark Tower.


	6. In Which No One Smashes Darcy

_"It was just a picture," Tony mumbled into his cup._

_"It is not anymore," Natasha said smugly. Tony humphed at her, and breakfast continued as normal. That is, as normal as it ever got around Stark Tower._

Which is to say, not at all. There was a roar that shook the building.

"Really?" Stark asked rhetorically, staring heavenward. "Really?"

"Sir," JARVIS said from overhead, "Director Fury wishes me to convey the threat of a large army of robots converging on Manhattan. He asks that . . ."

"Suit up!" Steve was already pushing his chair in. "Assemble in 5."

The kitchen quickly emptied except for Jane, Darcy and Pepper (after Jane and Pepper threatened their sweethearts to behave themselves, that is).

"Damn," Darcy sighed. "There goes Sunday."

"Darcy," Bruce's voice came from the hallway, "you all might want to go to the safe room, now."

Darcy jumped up from her chair, moving in the direction of his voice until she collided with Bruce's chest. "Be careful," she whispered. "Come home safe."

He laughed at her. "Go now," he said, briefly returning her hug. Then she felt hands on her.

"Darcy, let's go," Jane tugged at her arm, now sounding ten times more sober. "Darcy."

"I'm coming," she mumbled, letting her fingers trail down Bruce's arm for as long as possible as Jane tugged her away. She heard his sharp intake of breath and grinned to herself.

They sat in the safe room for what felt like hours. Pepper, being the ever-organized CEO that she was, had paperwork and business-y stuff to do. Jane had Science notes to read. And Darcy sat. Well, she sat for the first ten minutes. Then she paced. Then she dangled upside down on the chair. Then she tapped her feet. Then she somersaulted around the room. Finally Pepper sighed.

"Here," she sighed, handing Darcy her phone. "I need you to run damage control for me."

"Oh, I'm excellent at that," Darcy laughed. Pepper quickly briefed her on the situation, and Darcy set to work intimidating people over the phone. She was doing so draped upside down over her chair when the building shook again. She nearly fell off in shock.

"You will find those records." She told the phone. "You will find those records before I call back in an hour, or so help you God." She disconnected the call and the building shook again.

"Um," Jane said nervously. "I have as much faith in them as everyone else, but that seems a little close." Her words were accompanied by another shake and a roar that nearly stopped Darcy's heart. Then she knew what it was. Casually she straightened, then bolted to the door, ignoring Jane and Pepper's frantic calls. The door slammed open, and Darcy faced the Hulk.

"Hey, Big Guy, is that you?" Darcy asked, hoping her voice sounded casual.

"DARCY!" The Other Guy roared.

"Yep, it's me. What's up? Isn't there a battle going on right about now?"

"Hulk smash puny robots," the Hulk said proudly. "Want to see Darcy!"

"Not to smash Darcy, I hope," Darcy said.

"NO!" Hulk roared. "NO ONE SMASH DARCY!"

"Well, that is good to know," Darcy replied, rubbing her now ringing ears. "I feel safer already. Hey. HEY!" Suddenly, a huge hand had closed around her, and the ground parted from her feet. "Hulk! What are you doing?"

"Pretty Darcy," Hulk purred, cradling her against his chest. There was a thud as he sat down, still cradling Darcy. The surrealism of the moment washed over Darcy.

"Jane," she called, "This I want a picture of."

That was how the other Avengers found them ten minutes later.

Pepper and Jane had cautiously ventured from the safe room to find Darcy snuggled against the Hulk. And even if Darcy had wanted to get down, (which she totally didn't) she couldn't exactly feel her way down the Hulk's body to find the floor. There was an obliging click as Jane took the picture.

"We're gonna get this one framed, Big Guy," Darcy told the Hulk, and he muttered in agreement.

"Um," even Tony Stark was speechless.

"I think it's adorable," Pepper told him, removing his faceplate and giving him a hug. Thor tucked Jane under his arm. Even Natasha allowed herself a moment of sentiment and smiled a soft smile that made Clint pull her into his arms.

Finally Steve sighed. "Hulk, the battle is over now," he said cautiously. "Nothing more to smash. Time to let Dr. Banner come back."

Hulk purred again, stroking Darcy's hair. "Pretty Darcy," he mumbled, beginning to shrink under her. And suddenly she found herself lying on a very naked Bruce Banner.

"Damn, I wish I could see right now," she sighed as Steve helped her off. Tony choked and Clint snickered. Knowing Bruce he was bright red now; when Darcy had first come to be Jane's lab assistant at the Tower, and by extension Tony's and Bruce's as well, she had made a game of seeing how often she could get him to blush. There was a flurry as Tony threw him a pair of pants. A zip was pulled up and the sound of retreating footsteps told Darcy that Bruce had gone.


	7. In Which Darcy and Tony Are Bros

Darcy sighed. As much fun as the incident with Bruce had been (and it had been a lot of fun), she was now down two of her favorite scientists. Tony had been avoiding her since the lab accident, and Bruce was probably passed out in his apartment downstairs, or doing whatever else he did after Hulking out, embarrassed as hell. His blush was adorable, she remembered, picturing it happily and hoping fervently that one day she would see the picture Jane had taken.

"Hey Darcy."

Darcy screamed just a little and jumped, whirling toward the noise. "Wha . . . I didn't do it!" She sighed, pressing a hand to her racing heart. "Sweet Jesus, Stark. You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Now why would I do that?" Stark said, sounding somewhat distracted. "Pepper would kill me. Then she'd give my body to Natasha."

"Tony."

"Hmm?"

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I forgave you before it even happened." She moved forward, fingers outstretched until they collided with his chest. Upward they climbed until they reached his chin. He was tense, and she could feel the wrinkles of his frown under her fingers. Under her touch they smoothed away, and Stark let himself lean into her touch for the briefest of moments.

"We're good."

"We're good," Tony confirmed. He started walking away, his footsteps audible, and Darcy realized that she must have been deep in thought not to hear him approach.

"Hey. Thanks for finding me," she told him, glad that she was saved from having to search him out somewhere in his tower. There was no answer, as he had already gone. But that was just how they rolled. Tony did not _do_ sentimental, and she got that. It was one of the reasons they were bros. Well, not science bros, but bros nonetheless.

Now she just needed to find Bruce.

Bruce did not want to be found. Bruce was passed out on his bed. After Hulking out, he was usually exhausted enough that he awoke five hours later with hazy recollections of the last day or so. But not this time. Through his dreams chased Darcys of all kinds; happy Darcys, sobbing Darcys, Darcys who twirled their hair absentmindedly as they worked, Darcys who grinned as they brought him tea, Darcys who were happily cradled in the arms of the Hulk . . .

Bruce woke, not feeling very rested. He had held Darcy while in the Other Guy's body, he was sure of it. But judging by the Other Guy's happy mutterings in the back of his mind, she was still okay. In fact, now that he thought about it, Bruce distinctly remembered shrinking back into his body with Darcy on top of him.

_"I wish I could see right now," _the Darcy in his head sighed wistfully. That was certainly not a terrified reaction. In fact, that was the most positive reaction to him after transformation that he had ever received. He was just starting to feel warm and fuzzy inside when he realized how much danger she had been in. As the Hulk, whose main hobby was smashing, he had sought out Darcy Lewis and picked her up. Bad. Infinite potential for mistakes. No, it would be much more than a mistake to crush Darcy Lewis.

"_Hulk no smash Pretty Darcy," _the Other Guy muttered mutinously in the back of his mind. Bruce sighed.

"But I can't take the chance. Don't you get it? We don't exactly have the greatest track record with girls."

"_Hulk like Pretty Darcy_," the Other Guy told him sanctimoniously. "_Hulk protect Darcy. Darcy like Hulk."_

"We should leave Darcy alone," Bruce sighed. "We can't drag all our baggage and darkness and issues into Darcy's life. It wouldn't be fair to her." The Other Guy clearly didn't agree with this, throwing an image of Darcy cradled in his arms at Bruce and catching him off guard. He caught his breath. She did look happy. No. Bruce was bad for Darcy. He had to avoid her. For her own good. She couldn't get too close. He had just made up his mind when the Other Guy threw another image of Darcy at Bruce. Her wicked grin as she realized that she was on top of a naked Bruce Banner. Bruce picked up his pillow and screamed into it.


	8. In Which Darcy Does Not Sleep

He must have fallen asleep again, because when he awoke, he ached all over. The clock from his bedside table had mysteriously vanished, so he wasn't sure of the time. But he pulled himself up anyway, changing quickly into a shirt not streaked with nightmare sweat. Tea. He needed tea.

The halls were silent as he made his way up to the kitchen, and no light filtered through the windows, so he assumed it was some time in the middle of the night. Even better. He wouldn't disturb anyone.

The kitchen was empty when he trudged in, as he had expected, and the stove clock read somewhere around 2 am. He set about brewing his tea, concentrating explicitly on every detail of the tea making process. With his prize, he made his way to the table. There was a battered copy of _The Communist Manifesto_ there, and Bruce picked it up, lips quirking. Natasha's? He wondered idly.

He was immersed in the book when he felt hands on his shoulders. Instantly he tensed. "See you found my book," a small voice said. The hands on his shoulders began moving in small circles, and Bruce fought the growing feeling of calm that was being rubbed gently into his back.

"Darcy."

"Hmmm," she hummed, beginning to work her fingers into his muscles, kneading the tension out of his shoulders.

"Why do you- aaah- have a book? And out of- ohhh-curiosity, why the _Communist Manifesto_?" He moaned a bit as she worked at the knots in his shoulders.

"I thought Shakespeare was a little overdone," she muttered, her breath tickling his ear as she brought her chin to rest on his shoulder. "And you're wondering why I have a book if I'm blind? It's a comfort item. And I have it memorized. Poli sci major, remember? I had to do something useful with my degree."

Bruce again found himself fascinated by her, then he realized that he really wasn't doing much for his plan of distancing himself as much as possible before he ruined her life. "Wait, what are you doing up at this hour?" He wondered.

"Couldn't sleep," she sighed into his ear, her fingers pressing hard into his spine, making him arch it like a cat.

"Why not?" He wanted to know. The fingers froze on his back, and her face appeared in his line of vision, looking younger and more childish than he had ever seen her.

"I'm scared of the dark," she admitted in a whisper, and he pulled her into his arms. In the semi-lit kitchen he held her tight to his chest, trying to expel the demons so she wouldn't have to fight them on her own. Her breath shuddered in her chest, shaking him, and he took a close look at her face, realizing that under her eyes were the dark purple bruises of insomnia.

"Darcy," he whispered, "how long has it been since you slept?"

Again her breath shuddered in her chest as she murmured into his neck, "Too long."

Gingerly, he picked her up, ignoring her small squeak of surprise and his rapidly cooling tea still sitting on the table, and carried her into the living room, where he deposited her onto the couch. Finding blankets, he layered them on top of her, and knelt by her head.

"You're safe," he told her. "We're all here."

Her eyes, half lidded turned toward him. "Bruce, stay," she begged.

It was as if he was powerless to control his own body as he climbed onto the couch behind her, tucking her against the line of his body. She hummed in contentment as she wiggled closer into him. He tucked the blankets around her and stroked her back until her breathing evened out. It was in that moment, squished between her and the back of the couch, her smell in his nose and her body pressed against his, that he realized that he loved her.


	9. In Which Natasha Romanoff Has A Heart

The next morning dawned bright and early, and she woke up snuggled into warm blankets with the sun dancing on her face. Then she realized something. Around the corners of the black space of her vision were bright spots. When she turned her head, the spots blurred with the change of scenery. "Bruce!" She whispered, heart soaring as she remembered the previous night. But he wasn't there. Her heart sank painfully.

"Bruce?" Padding through the hallway to the kitchen, she pictured him carrying her, as he had last night. He wasn't there. She stopped by the laboratory next, asking JARVIS where he was. Even the AI didn't know, and Darcy started to worry.

The gym housed Steve and Clint, who were already soaked with sweat, if the pungency of their clothing was any indication.

"Have either of you seen Bruce?" she asked. In return, there were two no's, and Darcy moved on. Finally giving up, she went to her room. The spots at the edges of her vision were forgotten in the quest for finding him. Then JARVIS called her name.

"Miss Lewis."

"Yes, JARVIS."

"I have a message to you from Dr. Banner," the AI told her, managing to sound disapproving despite the fact that he was a non corporeal entity.

"What is it?" Darcy found herself breathless.

"Dr. Banner wishes to inform you that SHIELD has sent him on a mission and that he is not certain of his return date. He sends his regrets and hopes that your recovery progresses satisfactorily."

Darcy was utterly speechless for a moment, something that she would be the first to admit did not happen often. Then the relative quiet of Stark Tower was pierced by a scream.

"HE WHAT?!"

Darcy immediately stormed to Jane's bedroom, but there were noises issuing from within that made Darcy positive that Thor was also inside. Her rage carried her to Natasha's room, hoping that the assassin was inside and would take pity. The moment she knocked, the anger left her, and she sagged against the doorframe.

Natasha opened the door, one eyebrow raised at the intrusion. Clint didn't knock, and no one else in the tower dared come that close to her room. But one look at Darcy, sniffing furiously in an attempt not to cry, and she opened her door and led the girl inside.

It was widely believed that Natasha Romanoff did not have a heart. The truth is exactly the opposite, though few still on this earth could tell you that. Natasha had feelings. She was just far more adept at hiding and/or ignoring them than the rest of the human population of the world. Darcy was tucked into Natasha's shoulder, a comforting hand rubbing her back as she sobbed. Natasha didn't even flinch as Darcy snotted all over her new shirt.

By the time Darcy's sobs had died down to hiccups, Natasha was ready to murder whoever had left her like this. And her suspicions as to who were very strong. Darcy's stuttered story left her in tears again, and Natasha was busy plotting the murder of one Dr. Banner.

"He left?" Natasha triple checked.

"Gone," Darcy sniffed. "Left a message with JARVIS for me."

"JARVIS, replay Dr. Banner's message," Natasha immediately ordered. When he had, she scowled all the more fiercely. "Bastard."

"That's what I said," Darcy mumbled. "Why, Natasha?"

Natasha had a few ideas of why Dr. Banner would up and leave, and exactly zero of them justified either the message or the state in which he had left Darcy.

"Hey Nat . . ." Clint walked through her door and paused at the scene in front of him. He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head toward Darcy, who was now curled in Natasha's lap, exhausted from the emotions. "Banner?" was Clint's first guess. Natasha's swift and brutal nod, the murderous glint in her eye, made Clint wince on Bruce's behalf. Whatever befell him would be painful.


	10. In Which Steve Has A Sense Of Humor

Word spread quickly through Stark Tower that Bruce had gone, and reactions were swift. Tony swore and immediately began hacking SHIELD's networks. Steve could be heard yelling at Fury and Agent Sitwell over the phone in the next room. Jane appeared with a box of chocolates and a dartboard. Clint gave Darcy a hug before he and Natasha disappeared to call in favors with shady contacts. Thor made omelets and bad jokes.

Then Darcy remembered something. "Jane, I can see a little bit."

Everyone froze. Then everyone exploded.

"What?!"

"When?"

"Why didn't you lead off with that?" Stark mumbled. "Remember what we taught you about prioritizing?" Darcy bit back a comment about Stark's ideas of priorities being Science! and boobs.

"When?"

"We'll just get Dr. . ." Steve broke off, remembering that Dr. Banner would not, in fact, be able to look at her eyes, but recovered quickly. "Dr. Standish to look at it."

Twenty minutes later, Darcy, Jane, Steve and Thor were in a big black SUV headed towards SHIELD headquarters. Darcy concentrated on the patches of vision at the corners of her eyes.

"Jane, your shirt's a very nice shade of purple," she said, breaking the silence of the car. Jane beamed at her.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she said proudly. Darcy didn't tell her how long it had taken to work out that Jane was, in fact wearing a shirt that was purple, but Jane's happiness was worth the omission. The only damper to her rising hope was the fact that Bruce wasn't there to share.

Dr. Standish examined her eyes and pronounced that indeed, Darcy was a very lucky woman to have her sight coming back.

Natasha and Clint made a spectacular celebratory dinner of lasagna that night, Darcy's favorite, and the team made a valiant effort to be cheerful. Bruce's absence was glaringly obvious despite their best efforts. Even Darcy only slipped up once.

"Hey Bruce," she began, turning with a grin to his normal spot at the table. The smile fell off her face as she remembered that he wasn't there.

"So, um, anyone excited to see Skyfall?" Jane asked, sounding the tiniest bit desperate. Immediately, Natasha and Clint scoffed, beginning a dialogue about the many cinematic faults of James Bond.

"You know," Tony said thoughtfully, "I could screen it tonight."

"Don't be silly Tony," Jane laughed, "It comes out tonight."

Tony leveled an even stare at her across the table.

"Right," Jane muttered, a slight look of awe coming across her face. "Does this mean you could stream Breaking Dawn Part 2 early for me?"

"JANE ELIZABETH FOSTER!" Darcy facepalmed. "How could you ask such a thing? Such clichéd second rate cinematography does not have a place on Tony's amazing screens!"

"Yeah!" Tony seconded. "What Small Fry says!" There was a small scuffle, and Tony yelped. "Okay, okay! I was backing you up. Ow! Fine! Big Kahuna? No! Her Majesty the Princess Darcy?"

"Better," Darcy huffed, leaning back in her seat.

Thor and Steve exchanged mystified glances at the antics of the rest of the team.

That night, Clint made large batches of popcorn, and the Avengers plus Jane, Darcy, and Pepper and minus one Bruce Banner settled in to watch Skyfall.

Darcy tried to forget about him. Really, she did. She inserted herself into her usual banter with Stark and Clint, she teased Jane about her fun time with Thor, to which Jane blushed and Thor preened, and she even took on the task of explaining to Steve the function of Twitter. Which failed, but hey, at least she tried. None of it worked. The entire time, the annoying voice in the back of her head chimed in how Bruce would understand, how Bruce would back her up, how Bruce would laugh along with her. Most of all, it hurt after the movie when everyone else began dispersing in couples. And Darcy had no one.

The way back to her room was dark, and Darcy wanted to cry again.

"Damn it, Bruce," she muttered angrily, swiping impatiently at the tears beginning to trip down her nose. "Damn you fifteen ways to hell."

Darcy got little sleep that night, waking every few hours tangled in her sheets, gasping for breath. Her chest ached, her head hurt, and she was tired of crying. Finally around midnight, she gave up on sleep and began wandering the halls of Stark Tower. It was dark, and the monsters followed her, creeping around corners and staring from under furniture. Darcy swallowed a yelp as she whirled. But nothing was there.

She found herself in front of the gym. Inside she could make out the faint yellow glow of light, and the rhythmic thuds and heavy breathing of a man venting to a punching bag.

"Hey, Cap."

"Hey Darcy."

"Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither."

There were a few more jabs before he spoke again.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault." Darcy was getting tired of that phrase. It was never anyone's fault. It was always her job to reassure people of that. To lie. To sooth ruffled feathers. "Tape my hands."

Steve didn't question; he just did. Twenty minutes later, Darcy was lined up with the bag, Steve's instructions guiding her.

"Lean left a little. You want a good balance. Jab right, underhand left. " But after a while, he fell silent, watching her take the mickey out of the bag.

"Useless," Darcy muttered, jabbing and swinging. "Waltzing in and out. Thinking you're broken." Her stream of insults at the bag continued, and it swung obligingly in and out of reach as she pummeled it until she finally sank down, exhausted. Steve rushed forward to steady the bag, then lowered himself down next to her.

"Feel better?"

"Much," she admitted.

"It helps," he told her. "Most of the time, I'm down here practicing to stop thinking of Bucky and Peggy and everyone else I left behind." Steve sighed. "Sometimes I really wish I could just get drunk like normal people."

Steve's joke took Darcy by surprise, and she choked on a snort. "Steve Rodgers," she said delightedly, "you have a sense of humor!"

"Shhh. Don't tell Stark," Steve deadpanned, and Darcy laughed so hard tears streamed from the corner of her eyes. Steve chuckled a bit, mostly at her amusement.

"Thank you," she said finally. What she meant is thank you for listening, for not needing to listen, for letting me hit something, for making me laugh, for being there.

"Thank you," she said, and he must have understood some of that, because he smiled softly.

"You're welcome."


	11. In Which The Avengers Breakfast

The next day, Pepper requested Darcy's help, and so Darcy was whisked off on Stark's private jet to somewhere or other. Actually, the circumstances were somewhat impromptu, with Pepper barging into her room at the god awful hour of 7 am, dragging her out of bed, throwing what she apparently deemed a suitable outfit at Darcy's head and taming her hair into some semblance of a ponytail. Darcy was still rubbing sleepers out of her eyes when Pepper marched her up the stairs of the plane twenty minutes later.

"Why?" Darcy yawned.

"I need your diplomatic skills for a deal in Japan," Pepper told her in a stressed out CEO kind of way, and Darcy didn't ask any more questions, just accepted the small Stark device with headphones that Pepper thrust at her. Moments later, headphones having sprouted from her ears, Darcy listened to a summary of the international crisis currently befalling Stark Industries.

Back in New York another kind of crisis was occurring.

"What should we make for breakfast?" Clint asked. There were shouts from everywhere.

"Bacon!"

"Eggs!"

"French toast!"

"Fried Bugelkamph and sausage!" Thor roared, and there was a moment in which everyone stared at Thor in a sort of WTF kind of awe. Natasha broke the stalemate by sliding over to Clint and wrapping her leg around his waist, leaning over so that her cleavage was displayed to him.

"I like eggs and bacon," she purred, nipping his earlobe. A visible shiver ran through Clint, and he turned back to the others.

"Eggs and bacon it is!" he said, his voice a good octave higher than normal. Natasha smirked smugly. Jane grinned. Tony scowled.

"Not fair!" he protested. Thor shoveled down poptarts.

Once breakfast was on the table and the last piece of bacon had been dueled over (Stark versus Clint), Natasha called the table to order.

"Who's found Banner yet?"

"Actually, I have," Stark said darkly. "He's in Antarctica, supposedly studying the gamma radiation given off by a meteor that landed there recently."

"Oh, I did hear about that," Jane began, somewhat excitedly. Then she caught herself. "That is nowhere near a compelling enough reason to ditch Darcy like that."

"I agree with Dr. Foster," Steve said quietly, and it was decided.

"Ok, here's how we're getting him out," Stark said.

Two days later, a thoroughly exhausted Darcy returned to New York with an equally-exhausted-but-much-more-graceful-at-hiding-it Pepper.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" she yawned, burying her head in a mug of hot chocolate.

The Avengers exchanged a look that Darcy, still half blind, missed.

"Not much," Steve answered.

"Hmm," Darcy hummed, laying her head down on the table.

"Pepper? How'd it go?" Tony asked.

"She's brilliant," Pepper said wearily. "I want her."

"Mine," Jane muttered absentmindedly, watching Darcy fondly as she passed out on the table. "But I can share. She's more happy threatening people with you than she is as a lab assistant."

"Darcy?" Pepper asked. "What do you think of that?" There was no response.

"Darcy!" Tony bellowed.

"WHA? I DIDN'T DO IT!" Darcy yelled back, jerking awake and looking utterly disoriented for a minute, in which she managed to trip herself on the chair leg, and she tumbled painfully from her chair. "Freaking insensitive bugger," she mumbled at Stark, who was now busy giggling. "Shut up."

Steve helped her up, and she pointedly thanked him for his gentlemanly deportment, which made Steve chuckle.

"I bet Stark's face would look beautiful on that punching bag," he told her.

"Stark's face would look beautiful on anything," Darcy said dryly, Tony nodding and agreeing heartily, "even my toilet paper."

"Hey!" Tony sulked. "Pepper, save me from the cutting wrath of Her Majesty the Princess Darcy! She wishes to eat me for breakfast!"

"She will if you don't shut up," Pepper muttered, nearly face planting in her own cup of coffee, "And I will help her."

"Oh the love and affection in the room," Tony cried, and Natasha slapped him upside the head. "You stole that from Gibbs," Tony accused.

"No," Clint corrected, sneaking a look at Natasha, "Gibbs stole that from Natasha."

"Is it disconcerting that I believe that?" Darcy muttered. Her head drooped again, and only Steve's quick grab for the plate of eggs in front of her saved them from becoming her hat.

"Okay, little lady, time for bed." Steve said, hoisting Darcy out of her chair. Tony opened his mouth to make what undoubtedly would end up a dirty comment, and Natasha slapped him again.

"Did you know," Darcy said conversationally, hanging off Steve's arm as he mostly carried her to the door, "That it is currently 2 a.m. in Osaka? And that I have gotten exactly 20 minutes of sleep in the last 2 days?"

Steve replied cordially that he did not know that. As soon as they were gone, Pepper pulled her head off the table.

"Did it work?"

"Did it work," Tony scoffed. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist?" Natasha quipped under her breath, and Stark glared.

"Anyway, I made it to the SHIELD field base in Antarctica. Bruce acted like nothing was wrong."

"Bastard," growled Jane.

"The short of a long and soulful conversation is that he is afraid of hurting her."

"He already has," Natasha said.

Steve reentered the room. "What'd I miss?"

"Banner being a dumbass."

"So not much."

"No."

Steve looked at Stark. "Will he be back?"

Tony Stark dropped his act and looked deadly serious. "I gave him a few things to think about. Most likely he will slink back after a while, but he has some things to figure out first."

Steve nodded, satisfied with this, but Jane scowled. "He better do his figuring fast, or so help me God I will drag his sorry ass back."


	12. In Which Bruce Appreciates Antarctica

Antarctica was goddamn cold. Bruce Banner considered himself an authority on this fact owing to his going-on-four-day stay in the God-forsaken ice hell. But his was an exile self- imposed, and he never (verbally) complained about things he had brought down upon himself.

The Other Guy did not like Antarctica either. The Other Guy was moping about not being able to see Darcy. Angry Other Guy Bruce could deal with. Sulky Other Guy was an unprecedented phenomenon that Bruce hadn't quite managed to get a handle on yet.

"Dr. Banner," the lab tech called nervously. The poor kid was fresh meat to SHIELD and had obviously drawn the unlucky straw to be shipped off to the Icebox. Yes, that must have been it; the kid was far too green to have pissed anyone important off yet. Bruce went to see what the kid was pointing at, sighing wearily at his automatic step backward as Bruce leaned toward the screen. He and SHIELD had both assured the mousy lab tech that the Other Guy would not be making an appearance, and yet the kid was still flinching away every time Bruce so much as entered the room. It was getting old fast.

"I'll take a look, thank you. Why don't you go eat dinner?" The kid scurried off and Bruce plunked himself on the lab stool with another sigh. A sample of the meteor's core had been taken and was being examined under every microscope and chemical analyzer available in the lab. He was just focusing in on a minute detail in the structure of the atoms when the Other Guy flashed a picture of Darcy, breathless and laughing from chasing Tony to retrieve her copy of the _Communist Manifesto_. The intrusion made him lose focus and he dropped the slide. It shattered against the cold concrete of the floor and Bruce growled. The Other Guy growled back.

"_Banner stupid_," he muttered.

"Banner is trying not to screw up yet another person's life," Bruce muttered back. He was cleaning up the shards of the slide when the Other Guy showed him Tony Stark on his visit to Antarctica. Bruce sighed and sat back against the lab table. That had been an awkward conversation. Tony understood some of his dilemma, but even that understanding merely scratched the surface of the larger issue that was Bruce Banner.

"_Iron Man say Darcy cried_," the Other Guy reminded him. "_Hulk smash puny people for making Darcy cry_."

"You won't let me smash myself," Bruce grumbled.

"_Banner stupid_," Hulk sighed. "_Not give Pretty Darcy credit to know her mind_. "

"She doesn't see all of me," Bruce cried. "She sees what she wants to see, creates this happy, perfect version of me and ignores everything else!"

"_Banner not perfect_," Hulk agreed readily. Bruce scowled. "_But Pretty Darcy smart. Smarter than Banner. See good. Banner good_."

"I can't go back and hurt her!" Bruce all but shouted. The intern poked his head tentatively through the door.

"_Can't stay and hurt her_."

"Dr. Banner?" The kid asked. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Because!" Bruce snapped. "Yes I can. I can stay away as long as I need."

The intern edged out the door, terrified face firmly back in place, and Bruce remembered how awkward three-way conversations with oneself were.

The Other Guy was not satisfied and played his trump card, a picture of Darcy in the kitchen after she had just admitted to her nightmares. Her face, though it appeared childish at that moment, was shadowed by just the darkness he'd hoped to avoid leaving with her when he left.

"Stark, I'm going to need that jet after all."


	13. In Which The Proverbial Joint Is Blown

Once his mind was made up, it was made up. Bruce had never unpacked and so he didn't bother repacking, spending his last hours forming his conclusions about the meteorite (radioactive but relatively harmlessly so) and filling out his paperwork for SHIELD.

The quiet of the tiny encampment was shattered by the landing of an aircraft outside, and Bruce surveyed the small cabin one last time.

"Bye," he told the assistant, who was looking very relieved to see him go, "thanks for your hospitality." In return, he received a startled nod, and shouldering his bag, he headed out to the waiting aircraft. And stopped short as he saw who the pilot was.

There was the unmistakable flash of short red hair and Bruce sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

"Banner," Natasha Romanoff greeted icily as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Miss Romanoff," Bruce said carefully, selecting the more formal title as a gesture of implied 'please don't try out your 30 ways to dismember a body on me'. But he was lucky, since Natasha didn't look at him. At first it was a relief. But then two hours passed, and then three. Finally Natasha broke the silence.

"You left a wreck when you went away."

"I was trying to protect her," Bruce felt himself explaining for what seemed like a million times.

"Well good job." Natasha clapped sarcastically. "You're doing marvelously. As a matter of fact, if this is you trying to protect her, I shudder to think of what would happen if you ever tried to hurt her."

Bruce winced. That was harsh, but he probably deserved it, he thought as he eyed Natasha's face. It was emotionless; the only feature that betrayed just how infuriated she was were her eyes, glittering with a mixture of emotions that frankly terrified him.

"How does she do that?" He wondered aloud.

"Do what," Natasha snapped, pulling the plane level in the sky.

"Make everyone love her," he mused. "You, Jane, Tony, Clint, Thor, Pepper . . ."

"She's got Steve now too," Natasha muttered absently, though of all things Banner could have possibly said, she had to admit, that endeared him to her most. She snuck a sidelong glance at him. He was now smiling into space, presumably meditating on Darcy's innate charm.

"_Told Banner he was stupid. See Darcy again soon_!" The Other Guy cheered suddenly, breaking Bruce's train of thought.

"Shut up," he muttered. "Gloating is unseemly."

"I'm sorry?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"No," Bruce sighed, trying to ignore the smug humming of the Other Guy in the back of his mind. "The Other Guy has a thing for Darcy too." There was a moment of quiet as Bruce and Natasha digested that bit of information, then simultaneously they grinned.

"I believe that is one more tally for Team Darcy," Natasha murmured. The Other Guy rumbled his agreement. "Dr. Banner, you should learn to quit while you're still not pitifully behind."

"Okay." Bruce sighed. "I get that you're not happy with me right now." Natasha's snort of derision informed him of his large understatement. "But I'm trying to make it right."

"Bruce, the morning you left, she came to me. I have never seen, nor do I ever hope to see again, Darcy looking so broken. She sobbed into my shoulder for half an hour. And don't even get me started on that message you left with JARVIS. I can only tell you that if you ever, ever, EVER do this to her again, I will kill you."

Bruce nodded, and they sat in silence for the rest of the trip.

Natasha didn't know why Darcy affected her so much. In her entire life, she had seen many broken people, including herself. But Darcy was a sweet girl with a good sense of humor. In Natasha's line of work, genuinely good people were a dime a dozen. Yes, maybe that was it. Darcy, though by no means unworldly, was still innocent in a way. She had never killed, never wounded anyone, never ruined lives. To see such a pristine soul shattered in such a way hurt Natasha more than she'd ever believed her defenses would allow.

Natasha looked over at Bruce, who was asleep, a picture of Darcy on his lap, and sighed. Now the ball was in his court.


	14. In Which Bruce Returns

Bruce literally had to force himself not to tiptoe into Stark Tower. Sure, Tony had probably told JARVIS to alert him as soon as Banner set foot in the building, but he was still worried about their reactions. He had run away.

As he had expected, Tony was waiting for him when he reached the Avengers' floors. Clint was waiting for Natasha. Natasha stepped into his waiting arms, sighing, and Clint looked at Bruce with an expression the scientist couldn't quite read. It was a combination of 'God-I'm-glad-you're-back' and 'you-cruel-heartless-bastard', and was really quite interesting.

"I'm going to go put my bag away," Bruce muttered, turning away from Clint's scrutiny. He was getting the same from Tony.

"Dinner's in an hour," Clint told him, taking Natasha's hand as they walked away.

Bruce stared at Tony. Tony stared at Bruce.

"I'm glad you're back," Tony finally broke the silence.

"Me too."

"Good. We have things and Science to do. But you, more specifically, have a girl to apologize to."

"I know," Bruce sighed. "I messed up."

Tony stared. "You're gonna need to do better than that," he snorted. "She just slammed the door in your face."

"Um, I'm sorry I was a dumbass?" Bruce tried.

Tony face palmed. "Getting warmer," he mumbled. "This time, she only slapped you."

Bruce winced. "Darcy, I got scared," he said. "I got scared and I got dumb and I ran."

"Why were you scared?" Tony prompted.

"Because I've hurt so many people, shattered so many lives, and I care about you far too much to repeat the mistake. But I realized, Darcy. You're different."

"How?" Stark asked, but a soft voice from behind cut him off.

"I got it from here, Stark."

Both men whirled.

"Darcy?" Bruce gasped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Darcy told him, fixing him with a look that made him squirm with the intensity. "Beat it, Tony."

"Going, going," Stark muttered, turning the corner.

"Begin at 'Darcy is different'," Darcy ordered, folding her arms tightly across her chest and staring at him.

"Darcy is different," Bruce murmured. "You are special. None of the others got close. No one else knew both the Other Guy and me. And believe you me, he likes you." He broke off as the Other Guy rumbled his agreement. "I realized that by leaving, I'd already hurt you."

"Presumptuous much?" Darcy muttered, but waved him on.

"And I love you."

There was a long moment of silence. Then Darcy reached forward and smacked him before storming away.

Tony peeked his head back around the corner. "Well, you've done it now," he told Bruce before disappearing again.


	15. In Which A Heart To Heart Is Had

Darcy was hiding out in the kitchen with Jane and Natasha. Well, and Clint, since he and Natasha were making dinner.

"And he just blurted out that he loved you?" Jane asked incredulously.

"Mmmhmmph!" Darcy said through the mouthful of eggplant parmesan that Clint had just deposited in her mouth. "He just added it right on to the end of a speech about how I was different."

"Well, to be fair, you are pretty different," Clint muttered, and Darcy took a playful swipe at him as he passed her perch on the counter. "I meant that in the best and most flattering way possible, of course."

"Uh huh," Darcy huffed, but she grinned nonetheless. "How am I supposed to react to that kind of declaration? The man just left me. We haven't even been on a date yet! Actually, we're not even dating!"

"That," said Jane decisively, "is where you start. A date."

"So I should forgive him then? Definitely?"

"YES!" came three answers.

"Hey now, no need to sound so enthusiastic about it," Darcy mumbled. "I actively try to avoid awkwardness, and this sounds like the recipe for such."

"As much as I dislike him at the moment, I must admit, I ship you two," Jane sighed, folding her hands over her heart. Darcy, Natasha and Clint stared at her.

"Jane, Tony streamed that new Twilight movie for you, didn't he?" Darcy asked.

"What if he did?" Jane's expression turned shifty and Darcy laughed at her.

"Because you're even more of a sap than normal after cheesy romance films."

"It even made her cry," Clint confirmed, and Darcy stuck out her tongue at Jane.

Then Tony burst into the kitchen followed by an exasperated Pepper.

"Tony, it's none of your business . . ." she was saying as he came to an abrupt halt in front of Darcy.

"What are you going to say to him?"

"What?"

"You heard me, Darcy."

"Yes, I did; I'm working on what exactly you meant by it."

"Bruce is my friend; I'm curious."

"Bruce is my friend too," Steve said mildly, appearing in the doorway behind Stark. "Leave Darcy alone, Tony. This is for her and Bruce- alone- to figure out."

"But . . ."

"Stay out of it!" Pepper told him firmly. "You'll hear when the rest of us do."

The argument increased in volume and participation until shouts echoed from the kitchen. Darcy sat silently on the counter, waiting for them all to be done. But as time passed, it became more and more evident that the debate of whether or not Tony should get an answer to his question and whether or not he should order JARVIS to spy on them was not going to end any time soon.

"You know, suddenly it's very crowded in here," Darcy said, hopping off the counter and stalking out.

She wandered the halls of Stark Tower, habitually trailing her fingers along the walls, though her vision was mostly back now. Finally she ended up in the one place that she was positive JARVIS couldn't spy on her. She had found the little rooftop spot during her JARVIS assisted wanderings of the tower; this had been the one place he couldn't help her out.

The wind outside was bitter cold, and Darcy was reminded suddenly and nostalgically of her childhood home in Pennsylvania. She hadn't been back in a long time. Where was her home now? Stark Towers qualified, she supposed, but it didn't seem permanent, living with Jane in Thor's suite, which meant living upstairs on the couch most of the time to avoid the noise. New Mexico had also been temporary, and before that, even college she knew only lasted as long as her degree. She shivered, half from the cold and half from the intense loneliness that was sweeping over her. Jane was now her best friend as well as boss, but Darcy couldn't tag along forever. A tear ran down her cheek, the warmth contrasting with the cold of her face.

"Maybe it's time for me to go too," Darcy told the wind. "Though God only knows where."

"Maybe you could start by going inside," Bruce's voice informed her. "Coats and layers are strongly recommended for trips outside when it's freezing."

"Is that so? Well, I guess you would know, given your own recent excursion."

"Ouch," Bruce winced, then shrugged out of his jacket, kneeling beside Darcy. "I suppose that is also a 'no I will not go in' so for as long as you need it, take this." He draped his jacket around her shoulders. She didn't even acknowledge it. He sighed.

"Darcy, I'm really sorry. I can't take back what I did now, though."

"Why did you even feel the need to leave in the first place?" She spoke, though she kept her gaze flat forward. "Why did you need to run?"

"Because I realized I loved you and it scared the hell out of me."

"So you ran to fucking Antarctica? Jesus, Bruce. Normal people crash on their friends' couches. Not go to _Antarctica._ Guess what, Bruce? I'm scared too. Cause the last guy I loved smashed my heart into pieces, and I finally am ready to share it again and what do you do but find a jackhammer." By the end of her speech, she was staring at him, her breath coming in gasps. But she sat back against the wall.

Neither of them would look at each other. Darcy listened to the wind whistle around the building and the traffic sounds far below. Suddenly, her traitorous body shivered violently, and after that she could no longer keep the tears at bay. Bruce hesitated a moment before pulling her into his arms. At first she stayed rigid, but then she melted, burying her face into his chest as she sobbed. He held her, stroked her hair.

"Darcy," he whispered as her tears slowed. "Darcy. Darcy." He sighed as though he had just heard the most beautiful song in the world. "I completely understand if you want to walk away now. To forget anything ever may have happened between us and you can keep on hating me." He paused, waiting for her reaction, but all he received was a sniffle. "Or you could consider my offer of a promise never to leave again without discussing it first and dinner."

Darcy pulled her head out of the crook of his neck and began separating herself from him. "I hate you."

Bruce visible deflated. "Well, then. I will be going. It was good seeing you again, Darcy, and I will miss you."


	16. In Which A Conclusion Is Reached

"Dumbass," Darcy muttered, pulling Bruce back down beside her as he made to get up to leave. "Do I have to do everything around here?" And finding his face with her hands, Darcy pressed her lips to his. At first he was shocked and froze. Then he seemed to realize how close of a proximity there was between his lips and that of the girl he loved, and he kissed her. It was no weak, indecisive kiss, either. It was the kiss of a man in love.

"This means that there will be no more running away," Darcy breathed.

"Correct.

"Where are you taking me to dinner?"

Bruce broke away to laugh. "Wherever you want, love. Anywhere."

"Hmm, I've always wanted to try cuisine from Antarctica."

Bruce chuckled. "No, you don't," he told her. "Believe me when I say it consists of army rations and mac n cheese."

"Nope, doesn't sound like my kinda joint. How bout curry. Know any good ones, Doc?"

"Oh, a few," Bruce told her, leaning down to kiss Darcy's nose. She shivered again, and Bruce groaned. "As nice as it sounds to hide out here and not ever see Tony again, we're going to freeze if we stay up here, and I don't want to deny you your dinner."

"That would be disastrous," Darcy agreed, accepting Bruce's hand as he rose. "Oh look! Snow!"

Indeed, tiny snowflakes were just starting to drift from above.

"Oh, Bruce, I love the snow!" Darcy twirled a few times, arms outstretched and face tilted upward to demonstrate her point. Bruce grinned and pulled her close.

"I never liked snow much," he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist and swaying to an inaudible song. "But you make it beautiful." He began humming to her,

"When they begin the beguine . . ."

Finally, they broke apart when Darcy sighed, "I can't feel my toes."

Bruce laughed at her and swooped her up in his arms, eliciting a shriek of "Bruce put me down!" and lots of giggles as he carried her off the roof.

"Okay, now put me down," she finally said, breathless from laughing, as they neared the kitchen. He complied, but suddenly she grasped at his arm again, eyes shining with mischief and life. "Wanna do something evil?"

Two minutes later, shouts drifted into the kitchen, halting the still- going argument of how nosy Stark should be.

"Bruce Banner, I hate you and never want to speak to you again! You are a heartless bastard, and this time I hope you stay in Antarctica!"

"Fine! You know what, Darcy? I never loved you! You're selfish and conceited and an absolute BITCH!"

The occupants of the kitchen stared at each other, then jumped as Darcy slammed into the kitchen, Bruce on her heels.

"A green monster? I hate the color green!"

"Yeah, and I hate your face."

Jane stared at Natasha. "What is this?"

"He is a bastard . . ." Darcy screamed at the same time Bruce yelled, "she slapped me!"

"And I'll do it again!" Darcy lunged at Bruce, and Steve caught her; Thor, munching on a Pop tart, casually stepped in between the two.

Natasha rubbed her eyes. "A brilliant scientist and a genius graduate student, and this is the best you can do? Can't you just kiss and make up?"

Darcy leaned around Steve and Thor and eyed Bruce.

"Okay."

Then they were kissing, and no one quite knew what to say.

". . . well, that was unexpected," Stark grinned, pulling Pepper close. "But overall, I think I like happy endings."

"Darcy Lewis!" Jane yelled. "You did that on purpose, you . . ."

"Help me," Darcy squeaked, putting Bruce in between them, but he just laughed and kissed her again.

"Whatever you say, dear."

* * *

And this concludes my first ever story! Thank you to all you lovely people who reviewed, and I hope that everyone enjoyed. Thank you for reading!


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